Boeing Unveils First T-7A Red Hawk Advanced Trainer Jet

(29 April 2022, 12:14 +07)  Boeing has unveiled the first T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer jet to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force.

The T-7A Red Hawk incorporates a red-tailed livery in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. The airmen made up the first African American aviation unit to serve in the U.S. military.

The fully digitally designed aircraft was built and tested using advanced manufacturing, agile software development and digital engineering technology significantly reducing the time from design to first flight. The aircraft also features open architecture software, providing growth and flexibility to meet future mission needs.

Boeing T-7A Red Hawk. Picture: Eric Shindelbower

“We’re excited and honored to deliver this digitally advanced, next-generation trainer to the U.S. Air Force,” said Ted Colbert, president and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “This aircraft is a tangible example of how Boeing, its suppliers and partners are leading the digital engineering revolution. T-7A will prepare pilots for future missions for decades to come.”

The aircraft, one of 351 the U.S. Air Force plans to order, will remain in St. Louis where it will undergo ground and flight tests before being delivered to the U.S. Air Force.

The T-7A program resides at Boeing’s St. Louis facility with the aft section of the trainer being built by Saab in Linkoping, Sweden. Saab will soon start producing that section at their new production facility in West Lafayette, Indiana.

“These digitally-engineered aircraft will make it possible for a diverse cross section of future fighter and bomber pilots to be trained, and provide an advanced training system and capabilities that will meet the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s national security environment,” said Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

For several years, model-based engineering has been integral to Saab’s success – first, with the development of Gripen E, and now, as part of the T-7 program.

“Saab’s knowledge and expertise contributed to the design and production of this world-class trainer, with more than a thousand Saab employees involved. Collectively we set out an ambitious vision: to redefine what a trainer jet is, but also how they are made, and we have succeeded,” said Saab’s President and CEO, Micael Johansson. “This program has significantly grown our U.S. operations, fulfilling Saab’s promise of U.S. jobs, technology transfer and local economic benefits. Saab’s new advanced manufacturing and production facility for the fully installed aft fuselage of the T-7A Red Hawk, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, is a testament to Saab’s commitment to the U.S. as a multi-domestic company.”